


Of Dragons and Adoration

by littlesparkleshark



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: Actors Acting, Cunnilingus, Depictions of Rough Sex on screen, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Masturbation, Nude Photos, Praise Kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:35:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesparkleshark/pseuds/littlesparkleshark
Summary: Matt starts working on Game of Thrones, a lot of unexpected surprises follow.
Relationships: Alex Kingston/Matt Smith
Comments: 21
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

There was something extra quiet about Matt’s apartment. He usually preferred as close to total silence as he could get when going through a new script for the first time, but this was different.

He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and knew his face was hot with red blush, despite the fact that he was completely alone. Aside from his dog peacefully snoozing on the opposite end of the couch.

Matt had expected as much when he’d signed on to Game of Thrones; nudity was practically in the job description. He’d been near excited about it when it had been a prospect to joke about.

It wasn’t as if he’d never done a nude scene, he had, but this was different. He hadn’t realized it until now, but he’d used the small scraps of modesty given him like a shield. 

This scene allowed him none. They wanted full-frontal continual shots of him in the royal bed chambers. Strutting around, being a menace of an imaginary feudal society with swords in hand.

In all honesty, he didn't know why the news of this had shaken him, he wasn't ashamed of his body. He'd never had a complaint before, and he'd bulked up quite a bit to play this character. A dragon tamer and womanizer with the world at his feet required a level of physical strength after all. However, despite his best attempts to brush past the idea, he was still fidgeting in his seat. 

More nervous than he’d been since his early days as the Doctor, and that meant one thing.

In his experience, there was only one cure for nerves that refused to settle, and that was the honeyed soothing tones of Alex Kingston telling him it'd all be old hat by tomorrow. 

She picked up quickly, and he smiled at the sound of her voice. Warm, and welcoming, and safe in ways that were beyond scientific explanation and defied all logic.

Alex was halfway through explaining something to do with Salome when she stopped abruptly, he had yet to say more than a few words, and yet he found himself more at peace than he’d been all week. 

“what’s wrong?”

The sudden wholehearted concern in her voice made him smile widely, she was too good for them, none of them deserved her.

"Nothing, just a silly filming question. Finish your story."

She scoffed, “oh, I doubt you’re all that interested in hearing about my struggles with Sal’s college visits.”

Matt nodded emphatically, jumping to his feet as he gestured widely. "Kingston, there is nothing I'd like to hear about more. Is she still teasing you about going abroad?”

Alex sighed, “More than teasing, she’s genuinely interested. She said the word RADA to me and I nearly fainted.”

Matt smiled; his earlier turmoil completely forgotten as he was swept into her orbit. Just the sound of her voice and the background noise of her shuffling things about felt like sunlight through trees, warm and soothing, even in the depths of winter. It relaxed him to the bone in a way that when he tried to describe it never seemed to make any sense.

"She'd be brilliant." He offered, and she would. He'd seen Sal in local productions, either through video clips from Alex or the few times he'd been in the area and made a point to go and see her. Alex let out a long sigh that was filled with so much apprehension. 

So very worried, about everyone, all the time. 

They’d talked about it before, there were a few other schools Sal had mentioned in the UK and despite Matt’s vehement promises to keep a close eye on her, it made Alex nervous. 

“I’m not surprised at her interest; you and Darville talk about that place like the walls are made of gold.” He was teasing her, but they did. He didn't mind though; hearing Alex talk about her school days made his heart fizzle in his chest.

"And yet despite the constant pressure and the immense workload I still found time to get into so much trouble.” 

“Trouble?” He smirked, voice low and conspiratorial, “anything I’d be interested to know about?”

A dark chuckle floated through the speakers on his phone and his smile widened fondly. Born to make trouble, that one.

“I’m sure the poppet wouldn’t dream of doing anything remotely like that, Sal’s an angel.” 

“You live an ocean away; you would think that.” 

Matt smiled fondly; in reality, he did not think that. Sal was so much like her mother without even trying, she was going to give them all a heart attack before she reached twenty. 

“So, off the record. If she reaches out to me am I to encourage or discourage her interest in doing her studies here?”

He had no real say, but Sal had come to him about things before. He liked for him and Alex to be on the same page before he opened his fat mouth and got himself and Sal into trouble. He’d learned that lesson the hard way when Sal had been ten and he’d still been the Doctor and she’d immediately thrown him under the bus with a well-placed, ‘but Matt said-‘

The scolding he’d received had not been the fun kind.

“No, I suppose we can’t dissuade her. It would only make it seem more appealing; I think.” Alex sighed, “Her father has been pushing pretty hard for UCLA and it’s done nothing but make that her least favorite option.”

Matt snorted, stubborn girl, had been a hand full as long as he’d known her. “So, I should beg her to come here and seek admittance to the great RADA?”

The exasperated noise that he received in response made his entire body light up, he would never admit it, but he loved poking at her. She was so easily flummoxed in some ways it was amusing, while things that bothered other people, she wouldn’t bat an eye at.

“Maybe I should take her to England, we could spend a few days in Camden and when she realizes it’s just as boring as everywhere else, she won’t be so keen.” 

Central London was a lot of things, but he doubted Sal would find it boring. However, the idea of having them both in the same time zone as him, did more than pique his interest.   
It had been a while since he’d seen Alex, even longer since she’d brought Salome. He was afraid to say he’d missed them.

"You should." He told her, "Matter of fact you should go and get her now and hop on the next flight. I'll meet you at the gate in eight hours."

Alex laughed, but despite the levity in his statement, she must have heard the desperation hidden in its center.

“Matt, seriously. Are you struggling with something?”

“Just a script thing.”

He’d tried to say it with as much disinterest and nonchalance as humanly possible, but he should have known better. If there was anything Alex liked to talk about more than Sal it was acting stuff, and she latched on to his words with great curiosity. Ready to listen and instruct to the best of her ability, his own personal instructor. 

She didn’t say anything, but he could feel her excitement, so he pressed on.

“It’s not really anything I’m just struggling with the being nude bit.”

“You’ve done it before.”

His face went hot, suddenly filled with even more nervous energy than before. “Which is what I told them, and I suppose they took that a bit more seriously than I’d planned.”

She didn’t say anything, just waited. She was like the cops sometimes, just letting him talk himself into trouble at his own pace.

"It's full-frontal. I guess I just never thought." He trailed off running a hand through his hair. "I'm not self-conscious about my stuff usually but something is throwing me off." 

"You're thinking about it like it's sexual when it's art. You're just a part of the vision."

Easy for her to say.

Alex looked like art, everything from her pretty face to the round curves of her body looked like something that belonged in a museum. She didn't see it that way, she just considered herself a tool for the story, a lightning rod for the characters' emotions and feelings but it was different. 

“All your intimate bits are inside of you.” He was blushing, even as he said the words, but she laughed, as entirely unfazed as ever.

“Many cultures consider the penis an infinite source for artistic creativity. In Pompeii male genitals are carved into their cobblestone roads. You've got nothing out of the ordinary down their darling." 

He scoffed, some senseless masculine part of him dislike the idea of being ordinary to her. 

“How would you know? I could have gnome down there and you wouldn’t have any idea.” 

There was a long pause, long enough for him to start to fidget, unsure if she was waiting for him to do something or not. 

"When are you filming?" she asked casually, apparently choosing not to comment on his last statement. 

“two weeks from today.”  
She hummed but didn’t respond. 

Matt didn’t say anything either, opting instead to listen to the steady intake of her even breathing, reveling in the feel of her presence. 

His phone chimed against his ear with the sound of an incoming text, and he frowned at the interruption. 

"You should check that; it could be important," Alex murmured and he did as he was told.

He would have jumped off a bridge if she asked nicely enough.

He smiled, seeing the text was from Alex, and slid his thumb across the display to open it. An image of Alex completely naked filling his screen.

“Is this,” Matt stopped, trying to clear the rasp from his voice before he continued. “Is this, now?”

Alex hummed, sounding entirely unbothered.

“It’s only as big a deal as you make it, darling.”

Matt tugged at his jumper, suddenly feeling entirely too warm. His eyes traversing the outline of her curves, the dip of her waist and flare of her hips like he was in some way starved for it. 

It wasn't showy or posed in any way, just Alex, standing in front of a mirror without a stitch on. Her pale breasts and the dark pink of her nipples caught his attention for several minutes before his languid gaze moved down over the taut planes of her stomach and the wiry curls between her thighs. 

Every ounce of his attention zeroed in on her thighs, the shapely curves and smooth tanned muscle.

The photo cut off about mid-thigh where some kind of wooden furniture this mirror was perched on obviously began. Matt mourned the view of her legs before moving back and starting over from the top.

He’d been a bit preoccupied with the image to notice before but; the face she was making, her bottom lip tucked partially between her teeth, eyes bright and shining with mischief as she held up the camera. 

“Christ.”

He didn’t realize he’d said that out loud until she snorted. Matt nearly dropped his phone, only now realizing she was still on the line listening to him salivate over her. 

“Sorry, I-“ 

He paused, unsure how to apologize for being entirely engrossed in the image she’d purposefully sent to him. “Sorry.”

She laughed, the light sound of it making him dizzy as he smiled like an idiot. His gaze refocusing on the picture as he noticed something large and green in the background.

"Kingston, are you in your living room?" He asked, incredulous and as entirely fascinated by her as he always has been.

“I’m alone.” She replied, “I can do whatever I like.” 

There was a pause as Matt smiled at absolutely nothing, his mind working a mile a minute thinking about Alex wandering around her home in California completely starkers.

“I expect a reply.” She purred “Tit for tat so to speak.” 

“Wait, have you been undressed the whole time we’ve been talking?” It wasn't until that question was out of his mouth that he registered what she'd said. His mind too busy thinking about the golden light of the LA sun making her glow like a goddess as she wondered around without a stitch on. Her hands-free to wander across the soft curves of her body without obstruction.

She hummed in agreement, not nearly as impressed by this fact as he seemed to be.

"tit for tat." He barely choked out, his stomach dropping like he'd just jumped off the ledge of a skyscraper. "you know I don't look like that, right?”

She giggled, a light girlish sound that made him smile “I should hope not, dear.”

"Right, course, I-" 

He was stammering, tugging at his shirt like he was suddenly shy. He'd never been shy in his life, a bit awkward at times but always boisterous and extroverted. 

“You don't have to, of course, but it's only me. And I think if you just jump headfirst it will all seem a bit less scary after.”

His mind halted, the heat that had flushed his entire body suddenly vanquished by the stark reality of her words. She was teaching; just trying to help, and mentor, and nurture his career as she had from the very beginning. He wasn't supposed to be getting anything sexual out of this, she hadn’t sent him that picture for him to drool over.

He coughed, trying to sound as nonchalant as she seemed to be about all of this. Part of him wondered if she did this often, but he didn’t ask. A little afraid that she’d confirm that this wasn’t even a little bit special or out of the ordinary for her.

There was no talking for a while after that. His phone on speaker, sitting on the edge of his sink as he shucked off his clothes and tossed them in the general direction of his hamper.   
Acutely aware that she could hear the sounds of him undressing as she’d asked, reverberating off the bathroom walls.

A fact, he became even more aware of when he stumbled while trying to pull off his trousers. The obvious sound of him tripping over his own limbs punctuated by Alex’s soft laughter. 

Then he was standing in his bathroom, the silence becoming a bit overbearing as he squirmed and glanced at his phone. Alex wasn’t speaking but he knew she was there, just waiting, and that; more than anything, had him fidgeting awkwardly. 

While trying fairly hard not to think about his actions, Matt picked up the phone and snapped a picture of his reflection, smirking a bit awkwardly. His free hand sort of out in a questioning gesture near his hip.

He didn’t even bother to look at it before he sent it to her, not willing to scrutinize, or put too much thought into it.

Matt heard the moment her phone buzzed, and he waited for some kind of response. Unsure what he expected her to say, but eager for any form of acknowledgment or reassurance.   
The silence seemed to stretch on endlessly, long enough for Matt to wonder if the call had dropped.

“Alex?” His voice sounded weird, and he winced at his own unsure tone.

“Well,” She sniffed, a low chuckle that made his insides twist and his ears go red coming from the line as she concluded, “That’s certainly not a gnome, darling.”

Matt chuffed, ducking his head. “I ‘suppose not, no.”

There was another pause before Alex finally spoke, “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

He smirked, awkwardness dissipating immediately. Just like that he was no longer nervous. Not about the shoot, not about the photo he’d sent, not about anything. 

There was a pause; as he smiled down at his phone, catching his wistful expression in the mirror's reflection. He looked ridiculous, standing in front of his sink fully nude, smiling at his phone like an idiot.

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, dear.”


	2. Chapter 2

Matt was four episodes beyond that scene when it finally aired, and despite his previous nerves he promptly tuned in to watch it. 

In the time since, he’d found a place in his mind for Daemon, the character becoming like a switch he can turn off and on. Even still, it surprises him when he watches himself. So smug and overtly sexual as he swings a sword with broad controlled strokes, Daemon admiring himself in a large ornate mirror that leans against the far wall in his bed chambers. The lighting angled specifically to define the muscle he’d gained for the part.

He looked good, which surprises him a bit. He’d never thought of himself in anyway sensual, but it’s clear that the directors are setting Daemon up to be a character with noticeable charisma and allure. 

The cock prince; pompous and lustful in his tyranny.

It was different, but not exactly unwelcomed. Getting to lounge about with no shirt being a twat was fun.

His phone buzzed catching his attention, his gaze flicking from the TV to his phone. ‘ALEX’ in all capital letters scrolling across the screen, he picked up before the second ring. Not even bothering to say anything when he did, knowing she’d only call if she wanted to talk, so he’d let her. 

“You did brilliantly, Darling. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you enjoyed that scene.”

He scoffed, ‘enjoy’ was a bit too affectionate a term for enduring that scene his first week of shooting. He had yet to even learn everyone’s names and he’d had his cock out in front of them. 

He told her as much and smiled as her laughter flitted through the phone. 

“I have to say though, if this is the first episode, I doubt it gets any less lascivious.”

Matt’s mind flited through the last several episodes he’d filmed. There’s a lot going on, wars being waged, and enemies being made but he’d also spent quite a few days tumbling around with his co-stars in lavish silk beds. 

“Lascivious.” Matt repeated, a wide a smile tugging at his lips “Are you that enticed, Kingston?”

The low chuckle he received in response had him jumping off the couch; needing to find something else to focus on before that sound shot straight to his groin like it usually did.

He’d always had a crush on her, and he suspected she kind of knew as much, but would never seriously consider him. However, that picture was still sitting in his phone, and somehow that knowledge alone had him just a bit more gone on her than usual.

Matt found himself fiddling nervously with some clutter on one of his bookshelves. She loved these shelves; they were opulent and stretched to the top of the vaulted ceiling. A ladder on tracks built in to make the top shelves more accessible.

Alex had messed with the ladder and pored over his various collections for at least two hours the first time she’d visited. She’d been especially taken with the vinyl records he kept to the far right. 

“I’m always enticed by you, darling.” Alex purred playfully and he preened. “And the part that I was offered is similarly tempting.” 

Matt stopped in his tracks; his hand frozen over the top of a bookend he’d been fiddling restlessly with. 

“You’re going to be in the prequel?” excitement evident in his voice. There was something about the way they played off each other that just made everything else melt away. Alex flung herself into everything she did with such fervor it was impossible not to get swept up in it, and he’d be lying if he didn’t relish the idea of having her near for months on end.

“Well, they’ve asked but I haven’t given them an answer yet.”

“Is it a good part?” He asked, his mind flitting through various characters from the book series he’d only read after receiving the role. “Or is it something dumb; because if its dumb I can personally tell the showrunners to shove it, if you’d like.”

Alex chuckled softly, “It’s intriguing. I just don’t know if I should,” 

Matt’s brow furrowed, something about her tone was hesitant and it confused him. Alex was always excited for new projects, bouncing around and smiling madly at the opportunity to create something new. 

“I’d be opposite you,” she hedges, trailing off. 

Matt sits up straighter, “Take it.” He tells her seriously.

She laughs it off, intent on explaining why she should turn it down, “A love interest of sorts but I-“

There’s a pause and Matt finds himself fiddling with the edge of his rug, unable to keep still. 

Alex sighed. “I just wanted to make sure, I mean I don’t normally mind; but because we-”

Matt laughed, effectively cutting through her worried rambling, “Alex, are you asking for my permission?”

A long pause, followed by a quiet, “It’s your show.”

He wants to be sympathetic; he does. Her worries often get the best of her and he wants her to know she has nothing to be anxious about where he’s concerned but some part of him can’t help but tease her.

“I don’t remember getting this courtesy call before we got married, River Song.”

She laughed, and he smiled because he can hear the haughty tone before she even speaks, 

“First off, Mr. Smith, I was River before you were the Doctor. So truly, you dear, should have asked if I minded having to be married to you.”

He apologized for his lack of decorum and told her that next time, he’d ask if she would like to be his wife before committing them to an eternity together. Alex sighed, feigning deliberation before she begrudgingly agreed to accept his apology. 

They both fell silent after that. Matt sitting on his floor with his back against the built-ins, smiling at his empty room. 

He can hear her breathing and it feels nice, just to have her there. Her presence flitting through his phone and filling his home with a vibrant warmth that she can’t help but radiate. 

“Alex” He begins, “Take the part.”

She’s quiet for a moment before she finally agrees with a soft, “Ok.” 

There was another beat of silence before she admitted cheerfully, “I’m excited.” 

His smile widened. “Good. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should let you all know I've never seen a game of thrones and any references to it will just be what I imagine it's like. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Six or so episodes later and Alex is there, sitting in a foldable chair with her script laid out in front of her. Far too focused to even notice someone else has entered the room, let alone that he's staring.

The last time he'd seen her, she'd been a tiny image on his phone. The softly sloping flare of her hips and the swell of her breast completely on display for him. If Matt was honest, he thought about that picture more than strictly necessary. He was all too aware she meant nothing by it, but that didn't mean the image wasn't seared into his mind now.

"Kingston?"

Alex giggled at the put-on incredulous shock in his tone, her eyes bright and shining as they flicked up from her script to his face with genuine delight.

"What are you doing on my show?"

She sighed, haughty and teasing. "Well, to be frank, dearest, I thought you could use the help."

Matt scoffed feigning offense, mostly just to see her smile widen. Alex liked to think she could torment him like Kaz and Arthur, but she was too sweet to ever truly make the words sting.

The room they used for readthroughs was more of a warehouse than anything else. With concrete slab floors and metal walls, an overabundance of white plastic folding tables configured in one large 'U' shape. The writers, showrunners, and director at the end, and cast on either of the sides.

Matt had been about to tell her how much he liked having her help on his shows when their showrunner bustled in, a gaggle of cast and writers behind him.

The u-shaped tables had never bothered him before, and neither had the seating arrangements. Each chair was strategically labeled with cast names, the actors lumped together by the amount of interaction their characters had.

It was all fairly standard, especially within larger cast shows, but it also meant that Alex was on the other side of the ‘U’ and vaguely out of eyesight. From a technical view, this made sense, as their characters barely interacted in this first episode. Still, it was a very a far cry from the last time they worked together. The two of them shoulder to shoulder as they purred lines at each other until Steven threatened to separate them.

The stark contrast was a bit more jarring than he'd imagined.

Matt slid into his seat with even less grace than usual, unsure what he wanted other than to be near her. To be able to irritate her and tease her, to smell the nice citrus smell that seemed to cling all of her clothing for whatever reason.

He'd never been the overly nostalgic type; he was more of a here-and-now person, but he suddenly missed 'Who' desperately. At least Steven had never given them assigned seats like he was their primary school teacher.

They were halfway through when he stumbled over a line, missing an entire row of dialogue, and then going on to read some directions he wasn't supposed to say as if he'd never read through this script before.

He tried to tell himself otherwise, but his speech fumbles had everything to do with the fact that Alex had finally spoken.

Violet Hawthorn, who played his younger sister snorted at his very obvious mistake. Tapping the outside of his thigh with her knee as she carried on with her character's response as if he hadn't done anything at all.

Bless her, in this entire season she'd never once gotten upset with him for messing something up. It was hard work though, making him look lithe and graceful when he so often tripped over his own two feet. Under normal circumstances, his words were safe from his otherwise ungainly motor functions.

However, for whatever reason, he was unable to let the world fade to black around him. Unable to focus, and Daemon with his marauding and dry wit were nowhere to be found.

Violet's bony knee made contact with his outer thigh again and he suddenly realized he was supposed to be speaking.

He hurried through the dialog and the writers scribbled something into their scripts.

Matt winced, it never meant good things when they did that. It meant that the dialog didn't land, obviously it hadn't, with him stuttering through it like he didn't know how to be intimidating or predatory, and that meant rewrites.

The showrunner coughed, not even bothering to look up as he twirled a pencil in his left hand,

"Let's call that lunch." He decided, attention shifting to the watch on his wrist briefly, "It nearly 3 and we've been at this since 6 this morning."

Matt relaxed back into his chair, as the sound of scrapping papers and chair legs on cement floors filled the room.

"What’s your deal?" Violet nudged him again, "You never mess up lines-- it’s like your one redeeming quality."

He sighed running a hand over his face and trying to clear the tension. He'd always liked Alex, had always entertained this fumbling schoolboy crush, but something had shifted since she'd sent him that picture. He was far too distracted; above and beyond his normal level of Alex is in the room distracted, and it was pathetic.

Matt had been about to tell Violet to shove off when their showrunner tapped his pencil against the table. His script under his arm as he eyed Matt over his half-moon glasses, clearing his throat.

"At this point in my life, I've become a very adept people watcher." He told them and Matt suddenly felt like he was in grade school again, about to get sent to the headmaster's office for not paying attention during lecture.

"It comes in handy as a writer, and it’s helped me get where I am." He sniffs glancing about the room as the other cast and crew began to filter out. Looking equally bored and exasperated, "At this point, I don't even think people notice that I'm watching anymore- I'm that good."

If Matt knew where this was going, he would have said something by now, but as it was, he found it hard to do anything but look guilty as this small stout man eyed him over the half rim of his reading glasses with a vague maniacal gleam.

"That being said," He straightened suddenly, readjusting the script under his arm as he cleared his throat, "I brought her here, and I can just as easily take her away."

Matt felt the moment his stomach fell into his feet, even as he nodded and wished the floor would suddenly open and swallow him whole. He could feel his face heating up and he knew he’d gone red, as Violet bobbed around next to him asking questions far too loudly for his liking.

In the next minute, Alex is was sliding onto the table, her weight still supported by one foot on the floor but her with her arse propped up on the ledge of the table.

"You’re red." She remarked, and before he could even think of an excuse, their showrunner swiftly pulled her attention from him.

"He is." He remarked, "Probably because I scolded him so thoroughly for blundering up my script."

Alex laughed, even as she placed a hand over his in what he assumed was supposed to be comfort in the face of his embarrassment. Matt's stomach swooped at the brush of her fingers, her thumb rubbing absently at the side of his wrist and he suddenly feels a kinship with every lady in a Jane Austin novel.

She's always been touchy.

He used to revel in it like it was a prize he'd won at the fair, but this no longer felt like a game. He needed to get this under control before he truly got them both written off this show.

"I've given you a bit of room here." Their showrunner trailed off, riffling through the pages of his script as he spoke.

Matt blinked a few times; Violet is no longer beside him and he wonders if she'd been dismissed or just gotten bored and wandered off.

"I think it's fairly obvious I haven't decided where I want to take this story yet. So, I'm willing to let you two run it and just see what comes out."

Alex's hand moves from his hand to the top of his head, not really doing much of anything besides resting it there, but he's very aware of it. He didn't believe in the supernatural, but he'd know Alex long enough to know that she could feel his tension, an empath, and a witch if there ever were such a thing.

Without permission from his brain, one of his hands goes to the small of her back. Rubbing against the cable knit of the odd oversized sweater she's got on over her shirt. Seeking out her specific brand of comfort even when she's the cause of his general unrest.

"I'm sure we can manage that, right Darling?"

"Sure." He smiled, far brighter and more confident than he truly feels with the two of them staring down at him.

 _'Who'_ never liked when they toyed with the scenes, many of their reshoots had come down to one tried phrase; _'guys this is a children's show._ ' Usually uttered by Steven or their director and occasionally by Karen. Although she usually phrased it as _'stop having sex with your eyes!'_

At which point Alex would giggle and back off and he would shoot Karen the bird and tell her she'd ruined the take while knowing full well they wouldn't have used that take anyway.

Alex had this thing about her, that just felt like tripping into a black hole where nothing else existed but the characters they were and the feeling they felt. He wasn't sure what that was, but it was exhilarating in a way he didn't know how to describe. So utterly caught up in the mixed emotions and feelings of the character he was portraying he was no longer even aware of the cameras.

Outside of that, he was always very aware of the cameras. Mostly because he was afraid at any moment he might accidentally break one or something like that. 

The showrunner nodded, tucking the script back under his arm as he meandered toward the exit.

A soon as the door clicked shut, Alex turned to look down at him with concern.

"You’re struggling." She commented, the hand on his head moving to push back his hair, "What's wrong?"

He sighed, a witch and empath; it was both comforting and endlessly disconcerting how she could see through his every thought like that.

"My head is very loud." He told her, because it's true but also vague, "too many thoughts about too many things."

She nodded, continuing to smooth her hand over his hair until his eyes fall closed, leaning into her warm touch like a cat in the sunlight.

"Nothing in particular," he tells her before she can ask, "just struggling to feel like a carefree letch right now."

She laughed at that and he smirked, not bothering to open his eyes.

There's a quiet moment, and then her hand stops moving, "Is it me?"

Yes. But not in the self-deprecating way she means it, so he shakes his head. "Of course not. I'm looking forward to kidnapping you."

He's referring to the script and she chuckles, her hand moving again, fisting in his hair and tugging lightly. "Jerk. I hope I get to hit you for stealing me away in the next episode."

He smiles, "I'm way too tough and well-coordinated for you to be able to get the upper hand, _Abhainn_."

It's the first time he'd really said her character's name, but he likes the way it feels in his mouth. A bit like sweet red wine, earthy but sugary and decadent against his tongue.

She's doing that thing she does, where the world fades out and he can't help but fall into her orbit.

"A megalomaniac, with too much money accustomed to getting his way." Alex hums, "I don't think that makes you truly all that threatening _your highness_."

He's fairly certain he's not supposed to like the mocking way she says that, but he feels it rush through him like liquid fire anyway.

"I was tough enough to snatch you away from your little clan of occultists." He reminds her, the gruffness in his tone far too real for his own liking.

Alex lets her hand fall from where it had been threading through his hair with an apathetic scoff.

Matt’s eyes opened immediately at the absence of her touch, a frown creasing his brow as Alex leaned over the table. Her position resting on the tabletop means he had to look up to see her face, and his mouth goes suddenly dry. Alex's eyes are all at once a glittering turbulent chaos and a detached sort of calm. Like a body of water, undisturbed by motion, terrifying in its endless serenity but indisputably tumultuous below the surface.

"Perhaps I wanted to go." She hums, low and conspiratorially and so close to him that he can feel the soft puff of her breath against the side of his face.

He smirks, voice low and more lecherous and in character than it had been all day, “Perhaps you should watch your tongue before you find out my threats hold weight."

She put space between them at that, "Well that won't do." She tutted briskly, shrugging off their little character exploration like it barely affected her to switch between personalities in the blink of an eye.

Leaving Matt to take in his surroundings dumbly, as he'd just woken from the deepest sleep of his life. The rest of the room slowly fading back into focus as Alex pushed off the table with a sigh, walking backward toward the door.

"Daemon kidnapped her because she had a different vision from the prophecy dictating his demise, he needs her, which makes all threats kind of null and void."

Matt isn't sure when he'd gotten out of his chair and followed her but when she stops abruptly with her back against the door, he nearly falls into her.

"Perhaps that means it's you, _Daemon_ , that needs to watch your tongue." She purrs, all traces of Alex vanquished so suddenly he's left unable to formulate a response.

Alex smiled at him, and she is Alex again. So quickly and seamlessly that he feels a bit lost.

"Come on," she sighed, pushing the door open with her back, "Let's grab something to eat before they trap us in here for another six hours."

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, and by the end, it seemed everyone had totally forgotten his earlier awkwardness. Alex didn’t mention it, just smiled warmly as she nudged him affably.

Matt smiled back, so glaringly bewitched by her in her entirety that he began to wonder if casting her as a druid might be more than a little spot on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abhainn just means river in Gaelic.  
> Special thank you to tinkerbellxoxo for working through this chapter with me. I hope you all like it, Happy Alex Day!

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest I don't know how long this is going to be, or what entirely is going to happen but I think that's ok. Thanks for reading!


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